2000
#111,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gebreselassie
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "servant of the Most Holy Trinity".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 482 Americans carry the last name Gebreselassie. That puts it at #53,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 711,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebreselassie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
482
1 in 711,109
Census rank
#53,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
420
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 420 bearers of the surname Gebreselassie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreselassie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebreselassie
The surname Gebreselassie originated in Ethiopia, with its roots dating back to the ancient Semitic languages spoken in the region. The name is derived from the combination of the Amharic words "Gebre," meaning "servant," and "Selassie," which is a reference to the former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I.
Historically, the Gebreselassie name was associated with families who claimed lineage to the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled Ethiopia for centuries. This dynasty traced its roots back to the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. As a result, the name Gebreselassie carried a sense of reverence and prestige within Ethiopian society.
One of the earliest documented references to the Gebreselassie name can be found in the annals of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, where various individuals bearing the name held prominent positions within the clergy. For instance, Gebre Selassie Welde Ab, a noted Ethiopian scholar and cleric from the 16th century, authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the realm of Ethiopian literature, the name Gebreselassie is also closely tied to the famous philosopher and writer, Zera Yacob Gebreselassie (1599-1692). His works, which explored themes of rationalism and enlightenment, had a profound influence on Ethiopian intellectual thought.
Another notable figure with the Gebreselassie surname was Ras Gebre Selassie (1828-1894), a prominent military leader and nobleman during the reign of Emperor Yohannes IV. He played a crucial role in several battles against Italian forces during the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
In more recent times, the name Gebreselassie has gained global recognition through the achievements of Haile Gebreselassie (born in 1973), one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time. With multiple Olympic and World Championship medals, as well as numerous world records, he has become a national hero in Ethiopia and an iconic figure in the world of athletics.
While the Gebreselassie name is deeply rooted in Ethiopian history and culture, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and significance remain firmly tied to the ancient traditions and lineages of the Ethiopian highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebreselassie
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreselassie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebreselassie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gebreselassie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American96.7% · 406
- Two or more races1.9% · 8
- White0.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebreselassie
Gebreselassie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#62,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
+172 bearers (+117.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 48,405 places
2020
#53,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
+101 bearers (+31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 9,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,119 | 147 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,714 | 319 | 0.11 | +172 bearers (+117.0%) | Up 48,405 places |
| 2020 | #53,213 | 420 | 0.14 | +101 bearers (+31.7%) | Up 9,501 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gebreselassie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #62,714 | #53,213 | 15.1% |
| Count | 319 | 420 | 31.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.14 | 27.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebreselassie bearers went from 319 to 420 (+31.7% change). The surname moved up 9,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,714 to #53,213.
FAQ
Gebreselassie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebreselassie?
Name Census estimates that about 482 living Americans carry the surname Gebreselassie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 711,109 residents.
How common is Gebreselassie?
Gebreselassie ranks #53,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 420 people with the surname Gebreselassie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gebreselassie.
Has Gebreselassie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebreselassie went from 319 recorded bearers to 420. That is an increase of 101 (+31.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #62,714 to #53,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebreselassie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebreselassie, the largest self-reported group is Black at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (0.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gebreselassie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebreselassie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (96.7%), Two or More Races (1.9%), White (0.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gebreselassie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gebreselassie mean?
A surname of Ethiopian origin meaning "servant of the Most Holy Trinity". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gebreselassie (0.14 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Gebreselassie?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.